Vehicle barrier



J- WHITE VEHICLE BARRIER Filed April 25, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l is 5: MN

Gttorneg Oct. 25, 1932. L. J. WHITE VEHICLE BARRIER Filed April 25, 19322 Sheets-Sheet 2 Gttorneg Patented Oct. 25, 1932 UNITED STATES jPATENTOFFICE LIDY'D" awaits, or sen Anronio, Texas; nssrenon To; son'rnnnnraises coMrAnzor SAN ANTONIO, rnx'As; A co'nronnrron or TEXAS vnHic'LEApplication filed Apri125,

. This invention relates to vehicle barriers or safety stops and, amongother objects; aims to provide stop members adapted to be pro j'ected,at will, into the path of traflicfor the protection of gate entrancesand the like. More specifically, the idea is to provide counterbalanced,vertically movable columns or barrier members adapted to be elevated andloweredalternately in the path of vehicles at m spaced gate entrances toprevent vehicles of any'kind from crashing the gates. F urthermore, theinvention provides remote controlled pairs of barriers specially adaptedfor use in connection with vehicle locks which provide entrances toprison enclosures or yards, the purpose being to prevent mutinying orescaped prisoners from commandeering motor trucks, tractors or, even,locomotives and crashing the gatesso as to afford an avenue of escapeforall of the prisoners.

Gtherobjects and advantages of the invention will appear in thespecification,when considered in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, wherein: V

F ig. 1 is a plan view disclosing one embod ment of the inventionapplied'to a vehicle lock for a prison yard or the like; v 7 Fig. 2 isasectional view taken on the line 22 inFig. 1;

.Fig, 3is a sectional view taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2;

Fig. e is a sectional view taken on the line in Fig. 2; p v Fig. 5 is asectional view taken on the line 55 in Fig. 2; and

F ig. dis a sectional viewtaken'on the line 66 in Fig. 2.

Referring particularly to the drawings, theillustrated embodiment of theinvention A d is there shown as being applied to a vehicle lock 10forming; the entrance to a prison yard-surrounded by walls 11. Itwill'be understood, however, that such barriersare capable-of many otheruses. Inthisinstance, the vehicle loclrhas a pair of alined gates'12 and13 adapted to be opened and. closed al ternately either manually ormechanically to permit-vehicles to passthrou'ghthe lock and into theprison yard over the roadwayjlt in'rnu-ch-the samemanner as aboatpassing tannins 1932; Serial m.- ?,460.

through a canal look. It is quite common to provide such vehicle locksin prisonyards to guard against the escape ofprisoners. It will beunderstood that the entrance gate 12 first opened to permita vehicle topass into the lock, andthen closed. After the gate 13 is closed or, asit closes, the gate 12 is opened to permit the vehicle to pass ;into theprison yard where prisonersmay be ex; ercising or at work. For thepurposeof this illustration, the gates 12 and13 may be con: sidered asbeing slidable vertically' to open and close. In some installations oflocks of this character,prisoners have beenknown to mutiny-andconnnandeer vehicles to crash both gates from the outside. A locomotivemight be used very etiectively tor this pur; pose if a spur'traclr runsinto the prison yard. It the main purpose ofthis invention to providemeans effectively to prevent the crashing of the gates by any type ofvehicle or alocomotive. 7 V I V 7 Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, thej gates12 and 13 are shown as being guarded or protected by barriers in theform of a pair of vertically projecting columns 15' and 16, column 15being arranged adjacent to and on the outside of gate 12 illtllG path ofapproaching-vehicles; while the column 16 is arranged adjacent to thegate 13 onthe inside of the prison yard. WVhile the plunger-like columnsmay be made of many different shapes anddesigns, they are here shownasbeing fabricated of pairs of connected channel beams 17' suitablysecured-together at theirupper and lower ends by end plates 18 and19,the arrangement being such'that the columns are more or lessrectangular and the webs oit'the channel beams extend in the directionof the trathc to afiord' considerable bending resistance; Each of thecolumns, which may be of any desired height or length, is shown 'asbeing guided to be raised or lowered in a vertical metaljcasing20 ofsuch depth that, when either of the columns is lowered, to its bottom;its" top plate 18 will lie flush with the roadway or ground. Thesecasings are preferably embedded in concrete, shown at 21 in Fig. 2, sothat the casings cannot be bent when afprojected'col- 7 umn is struck asevere blow. To prevent dirt two columns are connected and counterbalanced by means of a cable 24 secured at its ends to the lower ends ofthe columns, passin over guide pulleys or sheaves 25 journa ed intransverse plates 26 near the upper ends of the casings 20; thence,through underground conduits 27 and being wound on drum 28 convenientlyjournaled in a housing W. The housing 29 is here shown as being arran edinside of the vehicle lock and has a man ole cover 30 to afford accessto it.

The arrangement is such that the drum 28 ma be rotated in eitherdirection to raise an lower the columns or barriers alternatel They aresuspended by the cable 24 so that both columns are normally supported ata' height of about two feet above the level of the driveway, protectingboth gates. While the drum 28 may be power-driven and controlled from aremote station, it is shown as being manually operable by an attendantin a watchtower 31. To this end, the drum has an internal ring gear 32driven by a pinion 33 on a shaft 34 which extends through an undergroundhousing or conduit 35 to a point below the watchtower. The shaft 34 isgeared to be driven by a vertical shaft 36 extending into the watchtowerand geared to be operated by a hand wheel 37 which may be mounted on acontrol panel, pedestal or the like (not shown). The arrangement is suchthat the guard or operator in the tower may observe the position of bothbarriers and control the traflic passing through the lock withoutleaving his station or coming in contact with either the drivers ofvehicles or the prisoners.

To limit the movement of the columns,

' beams 17 are conveniently provided with vertical connecting plates 38welded or otherwise secured to their flanges near the lower ends (Figs.2 and 5). The upper ends of these plates are arranged to strike stoplugs or projections 39 which may be welded to the casings 20 below thesheave brackets or plates 26 (Fig. 2). 3 Thus, the operator in the towermay turn the hand wheel 37 in either direction to the limit of itsmovement and be assured that one of the columns is projected to thelimit of its height, while the other one is flush with the ground at itstop.

While one embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and describedin detail as applied to vehicle locks for prisons, it will be ap rentthat such barriers, with or with out o vious mechanical changes, may beused to control entrances or approaches of various kinds.

Obviously, the present invention is not restricted to the particularembodiment thereof herein shown and described. Moreover, it is notindispensable that all the features of the invention be used conjointly,since they may be employed advantageously in various combinations andsub-combinations.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a roadway entrance having a gate, a vehicle stopprotecting the gate comprising a plunger-like member mounted below theroadway to be projected upwardly into the path of a vehicle; and remotecontrolled means for operating the stop.

2. In combination with a roadway having I a gate a vehicle stop in frontof the gate comprising a plunger-like member mounted below the roadwayto be projected vertically upwardly into the path of a vehicle; a casinbeneath the surface of the roadway pro vi ing a guide for said member;operating means connected to the member; and remote controlled means forraising and lowering the member.

3. In combination with a roadway entrance, a pair of spaced barrierscomprisin counterbalanced vertical columns arranged to be projected inthe path of vehicles; and remote controlled means for raising andlowering said columns, one of the columns being arranged to be loweredsubstantially flush with the roadway surface, while the other isprojected above the surface.

4. In combination with a vehicle entrance to enclosures having spacedgates, a pair of counterbalanced vehicle stops normally projected intothe path of the vehicles so as to protect said gates; and operatingmeans for said stops connected to move one of them out of the path of anapproaching vehicle and the other into the path of a vehicle. 5. Incombination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates, a pair of movablevehicle stops adjacent to the gates; and remote operating meansconnected to both stops to move one at a time out of the path of anapproaching vehicle. I

6. In combination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates, providing anentrance to a walled enclosure, a pair of counterbalanced, plunger-likevehicle stop members arranged adjacent to the gates; and remotecontrolled means for raising one of the stop members and simultaneouslylowering the other.

7. In combination with a vehicle lock having spaced gates providing anentrance to a walled enclosure, a pair of counterbalanced, plunger-likevehicle stop members arranged adjacent to the gates; vertical guidecasings for said stop members anchored below the 130 surface of theroadway; and a single, remote controlled means connected to raise one ofthe stop members and simultaneously lower the other.

8. In combination with a vehicle lock for prison enclosures and the likehaving spaced gates a pair of vertical casings embedded in the groundadjacent to the gates; a fabricated steel column constituting a vehiclestop slidably mounted in each of said casings; a single cable connectingthe columns so that one counterbalances the other and arranged normallyto suspend both columns in the path of vehicles approaching both gates;a drum over which said cable is wound; and remote controlled means foroperating the drum so as to project one of the columns above its normalsuspended position and lower the other col-V umn so that its upper endlies substantially flush with the surface. a

9. In combination with a vehicle lock for prison enclosures and the likehaving spaced gates, a pair of vertical casings embedded in the groundadjacent to the gates; a heavy steel column constituting a vehicle stopslidably mounted in each of said casings; asingle cable connecting thecolumns so that one counterbalances the other and arranged normally tosuspend both columns in the path of vehicles approaching both gates; adrum over which said cable is wound; gearing connected to the drum; anunderground shaft for operating the drum through said gearing; andmanually operable means connected to the shaft arranged at a remotecontrolled station and adapted to raise one of the columns above itsnormal suspended height and to lower the other column below the path ofan approaching vehicle.

10. In combination with a vehicle lock providing an entrance to a walledprison enclosure and having spaced gates, a pair of counterbalanced,plunger-like columns constituting vehicle stops to protect the gates;vertical casings providing guides for the columns anchored in the groundbelow the roadway; counterbalancing means including a cable connected tothe lower ends of the barriers and trained over sheaves journaled in thecasin gs adjacent to their upper ends; an underground winding drum overwhich said counterbalancing cable is wound; operating means for thewinding drum including a manually operable member arranged at a remotecontrol station and connected to impart raising movement to one of thecolumns and simultaneous lowering movement to the other column out ofthe path of a vehicle approaching the adjacent open gates; and meansassociated with the columns and their casings to limit the verticalmovement'of both columns.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature.

L. J. WHITE.

